duke

1 of 2

noun

ˈdük 

also ˈdyük

1

: a sovereign male ruler of a continental European duchy

2

: a nobleman of the highest hereditary rank

especially : a member of the highest grade of the British peerage

3

[probably from dukes of York, rhyming slang for fork (hand, fist)] slang : fist, hand

—usually used in plural

dukedom

ˈdük-dəm 

also ˈdyük-

noun

duke

2 of 2

verb

duked; duking

intransitive verb

: fight

see also:

duke it out

Examples of duke in a Sentence

Noun

Put up your dukes and fight, you coward!

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But while Maras and his collaborators clearly know how to frame these events using impressive visual techniques, that sophistication struggles to connect emotionally as the acting and writing duke it out for the title of Bigger Disappointment. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 May 2026

Duchy is basically a fancy word for the territory of a duke—and as William is the current Duke of Cornwall, the 130,000-plus acres are his to steward. —Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 25 May 2026

Verb

Especially not when compared to the current standard in the West — the two teams duking it out at an absurdly high level in this year’s conference finals, Oklahoma City and San Antonio. —Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 19 May 2026

While the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers duked it out in a physical series that the Cavs won in seven games on Sunday night, the Knicks sat at home awaiting their next opponent. —Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 18 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French duc, from Latin duc-, dux, from ducere to lead — more at tow entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1935, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing duke

• duke it out
• grand duke

Rhymes for duke

• fluke
• juke
• kook
• luc
• luke
• nuke
• puke
• souk
• spook
• archduke
• rebuke
• caoutchouc

Kids Definition

duke

noun

ˈd(y)ük

1

: a soveriegn ruler of a duchy

2

: a nobleman of the highest rank especially of the British nobility

3

slang : fist sense 1

—usually used in plural

Biographical Definition

Duke

biographical name

ˈdük 

ˈdyük

Benjamin Newton 1855–1929 and his brother James Buchanan 1856–1925 American tobacco industrialists